The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-09-28
The DisOrderly House of Commons.

The house of representatives in the
United States has not with us the best
of reputation for order and decorum in
the conduct of its proceedings, but it is
grave, dignified and quiet body COM
pared with the house of commons of
Great Britain. The English house of
commons is considered the most con-
servative and orderly of the European
legislative bodies, yet if business were
to be conducted at Washington after
the same fashion of the English house
of commons the country would have
some reason for accusing congress of
being turbulent and disorderly body.
There are not half dozen men in the
house of commons who can speak with
out being subjected to running fire of
jeers, sneers, groans and hoarse laugh
ter. The few speakers who are the
general exception to the rule cannot
command always respectful attention.
Mr.. Gladstone meets with fewer inter-
ruptions than any other man in parlia-
ment when he is engaged in speaking,
yet even he cannot 90 through the
entire speech without encountering an
occasional boot, derisive cough or con-
temptuous and supercilious snorts,
expressive of disbelief and denial from
the ministerial side. These members
make most uncouth noises and derisive
bowls, which appear to an unprejudiced
stranger to be the most undignified of
methods for expressing difference of
opinion. have heard the conservative
members charge that the Irish members
are responsible for introducing this
style of debate in the house of commons.
This | very much doubt. The con-
servatives are altogether too apt and too
ready in the use of this weapon of per-
sonal abuse to have taken lessons from
any one. The practice is now a we'll
nigh universal one with the members
of the house of commons. 1t is certainly
as prevalent upon one side of the house
as on the other. Only the oldest and
most dignified of the members refrain.
have never seen Mr.. Gladstone or
any of his immediate lieutenants Join
in this chorus of insulting noises made
by the liberal side, neither is it common
for the members of the ministry to join
in the uproar occasioned by any of the
members of the conservative side. 1t
takes men of strong self-possession and
ready command of all their resources to
make any kind of speech in the face of
the obstacles in their way in the house
of commons. | have no doubt much of
the hesitation and stammering of the
less ready members is occasioned by
their nervousness at the uproar caused
by their remarks whenever they make
statement which can be controverted
in any way by the opposition. The
true orator is a man of fine feeling, of
sensitive temperament and peculiarly
susceptible to the weapon of ridicule
What orator is strong enough to in
dulge in fine flow of poetic sentiment
or feeling when every phrase is fol-
lowed with jeering, insulting noises
from well-dressed, skillful experts at
every form of parliamentary insult?
Men after time become hardened to
this form of abuse, but at the same
time it has had this effect-this style of
criticism and lack of attention has killed
everything in the way of rhetorical elo-
quence. There is no speaker, outside
of Mr.. Gladstone, who would venture
upon field of discourse which savored
in the slightest degree of the sentimental.
None of the speakers in the house
of commons venture upon anything but
plain matter-of-fact business state
ments. Even Mr.. Gladstone, who is
an exceptionally eloquent man, confines
his talk in the main to clear, matter-of-
fact, business-like utterances concern
ing the subject under consideration
Crawford, IN the Netc York World